Bryce Higbee

Alan MacDonald

What is the Planning Commission?

The Alpine City Planning Commission is a seven member citizen board appointed by the Mayor with the advice and consent of the City Council. The Planning Commission makes a variety of decisions on diverse items of importance to the City and its residents. The following is a guide to Planning Commission Meetings.

The Planning Commission provides analysis and recommendations to the City Council on matters dealing with the present and future development of the City, in accordance with the goals and policies of the City's General Plan. This includes reviewing, approving, and/or recommending to the City Council for requests for general plan amendments, zone changes, subdivisions, and land use ordinance amendments.

The Planning Commission meets the first and third Tuesday of each month (unless otherwise indicated) at 7:00 p.m. in the Alpine City Hall, 20 N Main Street.

The Basic Steps in the Planning Commission Public Meeting Process:

Welcome to the meeting and roll call by the Planning Commission Chair.

Public Comment. This is time set aside when a person may comment on any item that is not on the agenda.

Action Items. A City staff member will introduce each action item on the agenda. The Planning Commission will then review and discuss the item and may ask questions of the applicant. The applicant may also present his/her item and answer any questions. The public may participate in presenting opinions/evidence or ask questions at the pleasure of the Chair of the body holding the meeting.

Call For a Motion and Vote. The Planning Commission Chair will ask for a motion on the item. Once a motion is made, a second may be made. The Planning Commission may then ask questions or make comments on the motion before voting. The Planning Commission will then vote.

Public Meeting and Public Hearing Courtesy

If the meeting is a public hearing, the public may participate during that time and may present opinions and evidence for the issue for which the hearing is being held. In a public hearing there may be some restrictions on participationg such as time limits.

Anyone can observe a public meeting, but there is no right to speak or be heard there. The public participates in presenting opinions/evidence at the pleasure of the Chair of the body conducting the meeting.

All comments must be recognized by the Chair and addressed through the microphone.

When speaking to the Planning Commission, please stand, speak slowly and clearly into the microphone, and state your name and address for the recorded record.

Be respectful to others and refrain from disruptions during the meeting. Please refrain from conversation with others in the audience as the microphones are sensitive and can pick up whispers in the back of the room.

Keep comments constructive and not disruptive.

Avoid verbal approval or dissatisfaction of the ongoing discussion (i.e., applauding or booing).

Exhibits (photos, petitions, etc.) given to the City become the property of the City.

Please silence all cell phones, beepers, pages, or other noise making devices.

Be considerate of others who wish to speak by limiting your comments to a reasonable length, and avoiding repetition of what has already been said. Time limits may be imposed.

Refrain from congregating near the doors or in the lobby area outside of the council room to talk as it can be noisy and disruptive. If you must carry on conversation in this area while a meeting is in progress, please be as quiet as possible (the doors must remain open during a public meeting and/or hearing).